Garuda: Book Club
by Layla Karine
Summary: Chip leads a book discussion on Harry Potter, and he gets everyone in on the action. Not a crossover. NickxMaddie, XanderxClare, ChipxVida. Please R&R!


Story: Book Club  
Rating: K-K+  
Series: Power Rangers Mystic Force  
Focus Characters: Chip  
Summary: Chip and company discuss Harry Potter, and everything "wrong" with it. (Contains Spoilers)

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Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Power Rangers. JK Rowling owns the wizards, Disney owns the... mystics? Magical spandex heroes. That works.

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(A/N: Clare isn't finished with the Harry Potter series in So Much Like Your Mother or LUNARiA, so this is set after she finishes. Won't have spoilers to either of the other stories, but will to Harry Potter.)

* * *

It was miday, Friday, and Madison Rocca, the Blue Mystic Ranger and alternatively known as Maddie, was in the study beyond the main room at Rootcore and having the hardest time concentrating. She was trying her best to focus on the spell book she was reading, loosely translated as _101 Spells to Improve Your Life_, while on the other side of the room, Charlie Thorn, also known as Chip by everyone except his folks, was rapidly talking to himself about things such as dementors and boggarts. It had been so long since she heard, or read, those words. Words that seemed foreign now that she had encounted creatures on an entirely different scale than in the typeset ink on paper. Trying to keep her attention on the book, she kept finding herself glancing back at the ever enthusiastic Yellow Ranger, Chip.

Maddie wasn't the only one with this problem. On the edge of the desk she was sitting at, perched her good friend, Xander Bly, no alias, who was trying to admire his reflection in the mirror when he kept catching Chip's expressions behind him. He rolled his eyes at his geeky friend, the one he was so fond of. Xander's confident gazes and winks greatly contrasted Chip's own facial expressions, which ranged from sheer delight to pure disgust.

Simply put, Chip was in his own world at the time. He was reading his fill on J.K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series, trying to cram the information down his throat again. He wanted to discuss the ending with Clare after she was done, which, knowing her, wouldn't be very long. It was only a few more chapters until she got to the end, and Chip was extremely hyped. She had read The Order of the Phoenix in only a few short days, and the Half-Blood Prince in two days maximum. It really looked like the blondie was absorbing all the information.

It was a long time ago, but Chip still remembered the excited feeling he got when he reached the days leading up to the end of the trilogy. He remembered the late nights filled with sneaking flashlights, stashing snack foods, and staying up until an hour before school was to start. Ah, the good old days, he thought to himself.

And then Chip's eyes wandered from over the top of his copy of The Deathly Hallows to his pink-clad companion, who was sitting across the room fairly close to her sister, not even noticing him because she was so used to his behavior and quirkiness. It was the girl that had once thought of him as weird and called him as such, and then sent another boy to the ER defending him from almost an identical comment a moment later. Chip considered himself lucky to have a friend like that. It balanced out the chaos.

Of all the people to understand him, it was Vida Rocca, Madison's sister who was also known to close friends as "V", the school pseudo-punk. She was the one who would show up to school in the mornings with an extra cup of Starbucks in hand, ready to awaken the zombie-boy. He would show up completely sleep deprived from reading, void of all sense, and sometimes even chanting his newest spell or creature word, and as soon as V would pour hot coffee down the hatch, he would be right as rain. Odd chemistry they had, but it worked. Except in chemistry, where no food or drink was allowed in the lab. The duo hated that rule, even if it was to keep them from dying in a horrible chemical explosion. Yeah.

Chip was interrupted by his thoughts by the feeling of four eyes burning into the back of his head. The ginger turned abruptly to Maddie and Xander, who had moved to behind his seat on the couch, both silently staring at him until started by his sudden movement.

"Wotcher?" Chip immediately asked, surprised by his friend's faces only inches away.

Maddie raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"Eh..." Chip cleared his throat to start over. "I mean... What's going on?"

Xander and Maddie exchanged glances. "You sort of zoned out royally." Xander offered, setting down his 3x magnification mirror.

"D-did I? Sorry about that." Chip bowed his head, a little embarrassed. "I'm just thinking about the Harry Potter series." He admitted.

A nod from Xander. "Of course, of course. Is that why you were starring at V, mate?"

Chip blushed deeply. "W-what are you talking about!?"

"Ah-ha! You were looking at my sister!" Madison whisper-shouted, trying not to let Vida hear.

"SHHHHH!" Chip began waving his arms frantically trying to keep his two snickering buddies quiet. "Guys. Not cool." He said quickly, trying to turn back to the words on the page.

It was a shame that Xander, the team's "smooth operator", wouldn't let Chip let it go.

"Sooooo... You like Vida?" Xander asked, trying to sound distant.

Chip sent the green mystic a glare. Not an intimidating glare, mind you, but a sort of annoyed glare. Xander just shrugged, turning his frien's glare into an eye roll.

"Come on, man. I'm sure Vida would say yes if you invited her to a concert of something." The brunet tried to assure. But Chip wouldn't have it. He insisted on going back to his book, in which Harry has met Dumbledore on a train platform in heaven. Chip never understood this part too well.

"So... about Vida," Xander began again.

"So where's Nick?" Chip asked aloud, trying to stop the silent grilling.

Xander grumbled at this, as he was actually having fun messing with his adorably bashful friend. Still, the green ranger went alone with the question and answered honestly, "He's doing something with his dad. I don't really know exactly what."

Sliding back on the couch he was sitting on, Chip nodded, trying to figure out the whole train station in heaven thing. So, obviously Dumbledore didn't return to life, but he wasn't completely dead? Okay, he knew Harry wasn't really in the train station, but he was? That made perfect sense. Chip groaned in annoyance at the book's occasional complexity.

"So back to V..."

"XANDER!"

"CHIP!"

Both boys turned to the doorway, where Clare, looking a bit disheveled, was running in with the grand finale of the wizard series clutched tightly in her hands. Only managing to trip twice, and once over her own feet, Clare ran up to Chip and shoved the paperback book in his face. Chip had every Harry Potter book in both paperback and hardcover, a result of multiple relatives buying him copies the Christmas of his freshman year. And one misled, yet close, aunt to buy him the entire series in British hardcover for his birthday the following year, as well.

Chip and Xander looked over the excited apprentice, who was practically vibrating from excitement. "Look at this! I finished it! It was absolutely fantastic, if not for a few errors!" She squealed.

"Errors?" Xander inquired.

Clare nodded. "Oh little things. The stuff of wands, the outfits they wear, some of the laws invented..." She trailed off.

"Ah."

"Anyway," Clare said, turning rapidly towards Chip again, "it was great! Thanks so much for lending it to me!" She said trying to thrust it back into Chip's hands.

Chip laughed and shook his head. "It's alright, Clare. You keep it."

A look of even higher delight spread across Clare's face. "You really mean it!?" She asked in disbelief.

"Of course. It should be every magician's duty to read about The Boy Who Lived." He responded.

Clare, still bouncing with excitement, giggled. "Then I guess the only one we have left to convert to the fandom is Udonna."

From behind Clare, Xander began choking simply on air and disbelief. "Uh- Clare? Udonna reading about English wizards living in a scottish castle using wand magic to defeat a Dark Lord instead of vanquishing the armies of the Underworld?" He asked, turning to Chip to clear his mind.

The ginger had a similar reaction, trying to stifle his amusement. "Yeah... Clare, I don't think she'd be interested." He deadpanned.

Clare pouted for a moment before returning to her previous glowing state. "What do you think Maddie? Vida?" She called across the room.

The sisters turned to face her. "Think about what?" They asked, obviously not having heard the previous comments.

"Having Udonna read the Harry Potter series." Clare informed.

Vida, as Chip expected, rolled her eyes as Maddie just scrunched her face, trying to imagine what was just said. And a second later, Nick came in with a sarcastic laugh. "My mom? Reading Harry Potter?" He said, wiping his head with a rag.

The girls turned around to look at him, even though there really wasn't much to see. The Red Ranger was covered in persistently sticky mud except for his face, which instead of dirt, was coated with ash, most likely from Fireheart. Actually, scratch that. Based on the scorch marks on Nick's cape, it was most certainly from Fireheart.

Maddie gingerly got up from her spot at the desk to help her boyfriend wipe his face. As of last Friday evening's training session at the lake, Nicholas Bowen "Nick" Russell and Madison Grey "Maddie" Rocca were officially a couple. And the two couldn't be more thrilled.

In a way, Chip secretly envied them. He'd always thought having a girlfriend would be cool, but at the same time, wanted it to be the right one. He wasn't going to date a girl for the sake of dating a girl. It had to be someone special, and he knew exactly what girl he wanted to be by his side. He wanted-

"Hey, Chip?" Clare asked, snapping her fingers in front of his face, trying desperately to get his attention. Usually a finger snap meant that some form of magic was going to be preformed, so Chip's response of jumping back in fright was fair yet funny.

He smiled at her eagerness and asked her what he could do for her. She gave him a "well-duh" look, even though that probably wasn't what she meant by it, and told him that she wanted to review the book together. Chip smiled and told her that that would work, and she immediately started flipping to pages that held important debate topics.

Now that Nick was mud free, he went to sit on the love seat with Madison. Vida and Xander took a seat on the couch, Vida closest to Chip, and Clare took the small recliner on the other side of Chip. They were about to begin their discussion when Nick's father, looking a lot like Nick had only moments ago, and Daggeron, following the similar pattern, entered.

"What's going on, kids?" Daggeron asked, taking a towel to his dark, curly hair.

After silently laughing at the men's situation with her teammates, Maddie flipped out her mystic morpher and muttered a simple, yet water exclusive, spell that quickly made all traces of mud vanish from sight. The men smiled and thanked her.

"We're talking about the Harry Potter books." Clare stated, replying to the earlier question.

Leanbow nodded and crossed his arms. "Mind if we join you?" He asked.

His son looked up at him in surprise. "Dad?"

"What? It was a good book. And after that, Daggeron and I went out to read the rest of them."

With a shrug, Nick gestured the two of them to the sitting area, where they proceeded to conjure two chairs, both upholstered in red velvet cloth. Clare and Chip were the only ones with hard copies of the book, but with a simple transformation spell on Vida's part, everyone had a paperback just like Clare's in hand.

"Sweet," Xander said, passing the book from hand to hand, "It's been a while since I've felt paper that isn't made of parchment." The core rangers laughed at this, knowing how accurate it actually was. They hadn't been back to school all summer break, which meant that except for Chip, they didn't have any summer reading to do. In Chip's case, he often crammed all the information down his throat last minute. Even Xander wasn't guilty of this, and he smiled as he went on to flip the pages and smell the paper.

"Enjoy it Xander," said Vida offhandedly, "The transfiguration spell only lasts about an hour. After that, your books turn back to beads."

"Beads?"

"Yes, Chip. I used my bracelet."

Chip looked to her right wrist where the bracelet he made her at sumer camp was absent. Completely coincidently, it was the only thing that she had owned before becoming a Power Ranger that was bright pink. And Chip was honored that it wasn't sent straight to the garbage. Or worse. The campfire.

"So shall we discuss?' Maddie asked sweetly.

The group cheered with agreement and opened their books to whatever section they wanted to debate.

* * *

"I can't believe you!" Clare exclaimed to Daggeron, who was standing across from her with his arms crossed.

"What can I say?" He said defensively. "I don't really think the Malfoys are bad people."

"I agree." Leanbow said, backing his friend.

Clare gave an exasperated sigh. "Uncle Lee! He's horrible and deceitful! What about you, Nick?"

"What about page 627, then?" Daggeron asked.

Everyone began wildly flipping through the book to find the page at hand. True enough, Daggeron had one of the most controversial points for the fans in the room.

"So his mum didn't kill him? She didn't quite save him." Xander said.

"YES SHE DID!" The Rocca sisters shouted at him in unison, making Xander comedically jump behind his buddy, Nick.

True to Nick, the guy stood up, abandoning Xander in the process, and walked over to Clare's side. "I think that Draco was evil and got what he deserved in the end. He didn't die, but he was shamed."

And just like Vida would, she stood and opposed Nick. "Yeah? What about the fact that he didn't agree with setting the Room of Requirement on fire. That wasn't his plan."

"He wanted to save his own butt!" Nick countered aggressively.

Daggeron scoffed. "I don't really think that saving his butt had to do with the fire. He didn't even cast the spell."

"His crony did. Those two were hanging around him since the beginning. I knew they were trouble!" Xander replied hotly.

Leanbow tried to reason with him. "A villain isn't judged by his minions."

"Yeah. They're judged by how well their minions dance."

"Xander!" Leanbow barked.

"Sorry, mate, sorry."

"But what about the fact that Draco said that he didn't want to kill Dumbledore!?" Maddie argued.

"And what about the fact that throughout his entire life at Hogwarts, he wanted to make life difficult for Harry!" exclaimed Nick. "Besides, he was just a bully!"

"Oh, come on!" Vida roared. "Draco practically had a wand with the killing curse at the ready pointed directly at his head!"

"But he still went after Dumbledore!" Xander countered.

"If you had a gun to your head, and guns to your parent's, wouldn't you do what they asked?"

"Parents?' Nick asked, somewhat stunned.

Vida nodded. "Yeah. Back in the Half-Blood prince, he said that his parents would be killed if he couldn't kill Dumbledore."

"Really?"

"Yes."

It made Nick think for a moment, before walking to join the people of the opinion that Draco was either good or misled. So far the standings were Clare and Xander for evil, and Leanbow, Dagggeron, Vida, Maddie, and Nick for misled. Chip was still listening to the arguments.

"It's interesting, really." Chip said finally. "Are we really talking about the Malfoys?"

Everyone in the room looked at each other and nodded hesitantly, wondering why they were being asked.

"Really?" They yellow mystic asked, gaining confused glances from his peers. "Because it sounds like we're only talking about Draco at this point."

The group looked at each other and then back to Chip. "Well, when you're talking about the Malfoys, you have to think of them as a whole family. Would we like to change the question at hand, or shall we retake sides on the matter?" He asked at a level of seriousness that was hard to imagine for him.

Nick raised his hand. "I suggest we change the question to Draco being misled."

Xander, Clare, Vida, and Maddie each raised their hands in agreement. Leanbow and Daggeron agreed quickly and Chip used his mystic morpher to make a gavel sound.

"Alright. Everyone take sides."

And it was no surprise that everyone went over to the side saying that Draco was misled. And that was the end of that. Seems that everyone thought it was all Lucius's fault for the whole 'servant of the Ma- I mean- Dark Lord' thing. Even Leanbow, which seemed to come to a surprise to both Daggeron and Nick.

Chip sighed and turned back through the book to the first chapter. "Alright... next topic..."

* * *

So far, Nick proved to be the most easy to persuade, if not Maddie. Somehow, Vida and Nick seemed to always fight on opposing sides, and Xander and Clare always on the same. Leanbow and Daggeron sat some rounds out, decided not to get into the bloody warfare of Harry Potter controversy. They had covered about seven topics on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows alone, which was pretty impressive for some.

"Okay, houses. Have we discussed enough?" Chip asked the 'council', getting weary from the hour of excitement.

Everyone nodded, and as the grandfather clock that was comfortably seated in the back corner chimed, everyone's books, save Chip and Clare's, reverted back to their original and minuscule state, falling to the ground with a plastic shatter. Nick and Xander immediately went to apologize for the clatter of the beads, but Vida waved off their concerns. She simply cast a spell that returned them all to her palm, and then back to the near-invisible plastic string around her wrist.

"Thanks for the books, V." Xander said, checking the floor for any other pink orbs he had missed.

Chip knew better. There were exactly six beads on the band. One for every letter of Vida's name, and then two that were decorated in little stars. Why stars? Because he was sure she wouldn't appreciate hearts. No. In no way would she ever appreciate little, hot pink hearts on her wrist.

"Well that was fun!" Clare mused, taking in all the interesting topics they had torn apart and scribbling them onto a blank piece of parchment she had lying in the back of the study.

"Glad you had fun, love." Chip said, bowing to her in a joking manner.

Clare curtsied in return and giggled when Xander cleared his throat to cut the shenanigans of the two. Chip could tell why.

Maddie turned to her boyfriend and held his arm tight. "Alright, all. We're off to the movies. See ya at home, sis." She lightly said before dragging Nick before he had the chance to change out of his forest garb.

Xander just shrugged. "Hey, Chip. I'll see ya later. I've got a shift to work for Toby. Vida you coming?"

Vida gave him a shooing motion. "I'll be there in a minute. Just wait by my car... and don't touch it."

The Aussie smiled, saluted her, and exited most modestly, grabbing his mirror on his quick way out. Vida smirked at his actions before waiting for the rest of the room to clear out.

That left Leanbow and Daggeron to make the next exit, saying something about feeding the dragon, sparking jealousy in the young blonde apprentice. She immediately began following closely behind her Uncle and friend, yelling and harping about that being her job, and that they couldn't usurp her position as dragon caretaker. Daggeron laughed at her as she chased him out.

And Vida remained with Chip. Awkwardly folding her arms behind her back. "So... you and Clare?"

"Clare and I what?" Chip asked cheerfully, getting up from his... throne.

Vida's lips thinned. "You and Clare... are becoming close?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think of her?" Vida asked, her insecurities growing. Sure, she was insanely confident in herself when she was confronting the toughest of boys in the hardest of situations. She would battle Nick Russel on any topic in any way and fight and fight and fight.

But this wasn't Nick Russel. This was Chip Thorn, the boy that had been by her side since grade school. The only boy to hit a growth spurt in the fifth grade and not embrace growing up. He was even geekier and goofier than ever at that time. His tenth birthday was filled with jokes and laughter. And Vida was the only girl invited. And it was an honor.

"Clare's cool." Chip said, breaking Vida's thoughts apart.

Vida shook her head, as if it would help her focus on the conversation, although she wasn't doing an absolutely great job of that. "So... do you think you are her... are..."

"We what?"

"That you guys... you guys are... nevermind! Just forget it!" She began to huff out, before being grabbed firmly by the arm by the once weak school boy. She was stunned. The flash of ginger hair whizzed by her eyes as she was brought into a warm embrace.

"V, come on! You can ask me anything!" He said, granting her great solace. Vida hugged him back, grateful. Did she really want to risk losing this? Was it really worth it. Yes, she decided. It totally was.

Swallowing her pride, Vida finally blurted out, "Charlie Thorn do you think that you guys are a couple?"

And then mortification set it. Pure, unrivaled mortification drew itself all over Vida's features. Not only had Chip not immediately told her that he and Clare weren't seeing each other, but he had done something she didn't expect. He began to laugh.

His body was shaking with laughter, and Vida felt her cheeks go the same color as her cape. Pink. Bright pink. A rosy blush crossed Vida's cheeks, and she couldn't stop it. She risked it all and lost, hadn't she. Stupid Vida! Why did you have to go off and ruin it. She tried to pull away from the embrace that was now taunting her, only to find Chip latching on to her.

"Chip, stop it. I'm sorry. I didn't mean- I mean- I did- but- seeing you today. Surrounded by the things that you love. The things I used to share with you. It made me remember what it was like to be with you. Grade school, junior high, high school, I remember it all. And I- I-" She rambled, but Chip wouldn't have it. He just gave her a real tight squeeze.

Vida was confused, and looked to her golden friend. He allowed the hug to loosen, and then she saw his face. He was blushing too. He was pink, probably the same shade of pink that she was. She couldn't tell what he was feeling. His face looked so mixed.

"Vida Rocca, you know that I've only had feelings for you. Always." He said.

And the response? It wasn't a kiss as some may thing. It was another hug, a smile, a secret handshake, and then Vida leaving to go defend her ride. And Chip was happy. They didn't need to be mushy and gooey to be in love. They just needed each other.

Chip sighed to himself. Sometimes it pays to be a geek. No. It wasn't even him being a geek. Sometimes... sometimes it pays just to be yourself.


End file.
